New Experiences in Denmark

I now have been in Copenhagen for a month and a half! Time is flying by, and I think it's time for me to write about my daily life here and enlighten everyone on Danish culture. After spending the past weekend in Berlin, I was on the train back from the Copenhagen airport toward the center of the city, and I really felt like I was returning home :-). I was excited to see Signe and tell her about my trip, drink some tea and relax in our living room, and actually get a good night's sleep in my warm and comfortable bed.
So in these past few weeks I have had some very interesting new experiences. Here are some of them:

First field study with my Environmental Problems and Policy class: We went to one of the main energy companies in Denmark, Dong Energy, and heard a speaker tell us about the future of alternative energy in the company. She mostly focused on the project regarding electric vehicles that Dong Energy is involved in. A contract has been signed with the company, Better Place, that will utilize excess wind energy provided by Denmark's many windmills that accumulates during the night when people are using much less energy, to charge cars overnight. She said that even if all the electricity for the cars was provided solely by coal-powered plants, the CO2 emission per car would be half of that of a traditional car. Denmark is especially suited for this electrical vehicle grid because the country is small so driving distances are never that far, making it not that difficult to charge the cars when needed. The fact that the country has the highest share of wind power doesn't hurt either.

Biking around Copenhagen! Speaking of environmentally-friendly transportation, I rode around the city for the first time by bike, and it was amazing! Such a different view of the city.. I have a transportation pass provided by DIS and usually take the public buses, but Signe graciously let me borrow her bike one afternoon. I biked into the center of the city to Studenterhuset, the student cafe/bar, where they were having Sunday afternoon swing dancing. It was a fantastic afternoon. I made it safe and sound, and started figuring out where its okay to bike when there aren't bike lanes. I'm really hoping to find a used bike to buy after the travel break so I can use that as my transportation for the rest of the semester, then sell it back.

Talk about Obama's campaign: Signe's sister, Maja, is running for a position on the council for the local municipality for the Socialdemokratiet party, the second largest party in the country. The power of the municipal governments is mostly in regulating the health sector, and this would be fitting for Maja because she is currently in medical school. So she invited me and another friend to hear a member of the Danish parliament speak about Obama's campaign and how their party can learn from his campaign tactics. It was very interesting, although completely in Danish. Luckily, he used some slides and I could recognize a few words on them, and Maja translated some of it for me by whispering to me during the talk. A good moment was when the speaker introduced me to everyone as the American, but he was speaking in Danish so I had no idea what he said. I just know that he pointed at me, so I smiled. The refreshments were intentionally American: Budweiser and popcorn.

First contact with the Danish police: This was a lovely surprise. I was alone in the apartment one morning after Signe had gone to work, and there was a knock on the door. I couldn't figure out who would be coming at this time, and I opened the door to see a Danish policewoman holding out her badge and speaking Danish to me. After switching over to English, she asked if I knew anything about the attempted murder that happened right across the street from my apartment a few days before. I did remember seeing two policemen and three men talking at the streetcorner, but I certainly didn't witness anything. I told her this, and she said thanks and took down my CPR # (like Social Security #) for her report. Nørrebro, the neighborhood I live in, is known for having more crime than other parts of Copenhagen, but I didn't expect to talk to the police during my stay!

Showering at the gym: A couple weeks ago I joined the gym near DIS that offers students a decent discount, and I have been working out there before and after classes. This is definitely an interesting place for interacting with Danes and that is one of the reasons I joined, but I was surprised by how much I would get to know them.. The locker room environment is far different from locker rooms that I am used to. Almost everyone who goes to the gym showers after so they can just continue with their day, and there is a big room in which to shower that doesn't have stalls or curtains. Just one big room with four or so showers. The women not only shower naked, but walk around without towels on! I was shocked to see two women deep in conversation about work while both standing there stark naked. This was a bit of a culture shock to me, but I knew that I would have to try it myself. So last week I went to the gym one day and brought my shower stuff, and succeeded in showering there. It ended up being a very simple task. Everyone else is so comfortable with the situation and they are really just concerned with their own process of getting ready, that I'm sure I was the only awkward and nervous one there. Also, I started trying the classes that the gym offers- I've done yoga and tae bo so far, and got my butt kicked. I'm excited to keep taking the classes though!

Going to church with Signe and her family: There is a very beautiful old church a few blocks down from my apartment that is known for holding modern services. It's a Lutheran church, which is the denomination that is supported by the state. So I went with Signe last weekend and met up with her mom, brother, his girlfriend, and their daughter. This was also all in Danish, so I can't say that it completely held my attention, but I really enjoyed trying to pronounce the words in the Danish hymns. Though I had no idea what I was singing about, Signe's mom said I had good pronunciation! One detail I think is important to include, is that the church holds rock concerts once a month, and during the service when my eyes were wandering, I noticed a disco ball hanging from a ceiling. I thought the contrast between the sophisticated architecture of the old church and the shiny silver disco ball was quite beautiful.

I also had the chance to go to Berlin this past weekend, but there is too much to write about that, so I'll save that for later. The only thing worth knowing about that at this moment is that I got to try my first croissant!!!! I worked at Aux Petits Delices, the French bakery near Eastern last semester, and sold many delicious-looking croissants to customers. Now, thanks to a grocery store in a Berlin train station, I have a box of six gluten-free croissants in my possession, and each has been, or will be, thoroughly enjoyed.